MicroLED vs OLED: The battle of the high-end display tech

Can new-comer microLED beat out OLED?

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Ever since we saw Samsung’s ‘The Wall’ at CES 2018, we’ve been curious about what the technology behind that massive screen could be capable of. And, now that Apple is playing around with microLED technology for use in the Apple Watch and maybe even more, we here at TechRadar decided it was about time we dove into this technology to see what’s going on.

At this point, you might be wondering “what about OLED?” And, “I just sold my house to buy an OLED TV, will my wife/husband/significant other be mad at me?”

Don’t worry – even if microLED is really cool, it doesn’t look like it’s going to replace OLED any time soon, as it’s still in the very early stages and nowhere near mass production.

So, with all of the unfounded (at least for a while) fears out of the way, let’s dissect what exactly microLED is, what it’ll be used for, and whether or not it will one day replace OLED.

Pictured: The Wall by Samsung, the world's first commercial microLED TV

What is microLED?

To put it simply, microLED takes traditional LEDs and shrinks them down to the microscopic level. Now, that might not seem all that impressive on first glance, but because of how small these LEDs are, and the fact that they’re self-emitting, microLED is able to produce a picture with brightness that rivals OLED – without any of the downsides that come with using an organic substance.

This means that you won’t have to worry about a microLED display degrading over time. A microLED display, barring outside forces, will stay at its peak brightness with no natural degradation. You also won’t have to worry about images burning into the screen, which will be a boon for anyone playing games, or even for smartphone and smartwatch manufacturers who would otherwise have to worry about UI elements reducing the lifespan of their devices.

The only problem here is that it’s currently extraordinarily difficult to manufacture any kind of screen using microLED – even for robots. For a standard 55-inch panel, you’re looking at millions of microLEDs that need to be placed perfectly. Misalignment can lead to uneven lighting and colors, so until manufacturers can cross this hurdle, we likely won’t see this technology in the mainstream.

Pictured: The Wall by Samsung

MicroLED vs OLED

The biggest thing that separates microLED and OLED is the price. In 2018, because the technology isn’t quite there yet, it wouldn’t make much sense to manufacture a TV using microLED technology – so OLED takes the win there, as it can literally be printed.

There’s also the issue of longevity. OLED, because it uses an organic compound that naturally decays over time, doesn’t last forever. This is an issue, primarily because when you spend thousands of dollars on a high-end TV, you’re doing so under the assumption that you’re making an investment that will last a while. And, while you likely won’t see any degradation within the first 5 years or so of using your device, it’s not going to stay like that.

That’s not to mention the burn in. As gaming becomes more and more popular, with devices like the Nintendo Switch bringing in people who may have never played games before, burn in is going to start making a lot of headlines – especially as the price of OLED displays comes down. MicroLED doesn’t have this problem. It’s just a shame that microLED is so far away from being implemented into consumer televisions.

However, it’s a completely different story when it comes to mobile tech. Both Apple with its Apple Watch and Google with its rumored Google Glass comeback, are investing into microLED technology. And, it’s here that microLED is going to shine within the next couple of years.

That being said, however, don’t expect the first generation of microLED wearables to be cheap – Apple is going to need to recoup the cost of research somehow.

Pictured: The 2018 LG W8 OLED TV

Will microLED replace OLED?

This is what everything has been building towards. If you’ve been paying attention, you might be sitting comfortably thinking that your OLED display is going to be future-proof, but we wouldn’t be too sure.

When it comes to the short term – over the next five years or so – OLED is probably going to stay the king of high-end TVs. This is mainly because of the cost involved with making panels in 2018. Sure, Samsung’s The Wall was an awesome showcase of the technology, but that TV, when it eventually makes its way to market in August, will likely be something that only Elon Musk could afford. MicroLED simply won’t be in a consumer device until its ready.

Once the manufacturing technology catches up, and microLED panels don’t cost a fortune to make, we think OLED is going to go the way of Plasma when LED took the market by storm.

However, once the manufacturing technology catches up, and microLED panels don’t cost a fortune to make, we think OLED is going to go the way of Plasma when LED took the market by storm. If consumers can buy a TV that’s going to last longer, have the same picture quality – and they don’t have to worry about leaving static images on the screen? It’s pretty easy to see why that’s an attractive offer.

While microLED might not be taking over TVs anytime soon, the mobile phone market might be in for a shake-up.

In 2017, the iPhone X made waves with its gorgeous OLED display, and we all know that the second it’s viable, Apple is going to implement microLED into its iPhones – it’s already investing in the technology. OLED was used first in phones as well, dating back to around 2005. We’ll see microLED start off in mobile tech, and move into televisions sometime in the next 10 years – then it’s all uphill from there.

OLED or microLED, who's the winner?

Look, we’re not telling you to avoid buying an OLED display. In fact, OLED displays are behind some of the best 55-inch and 65-inch 4K TVs you can buy today. We likely won’t see microLED make its way into consumer devices for a very long time, so holding off on a TV if you need one right now doesn’t make much sense.

However, we do think it's worthwhile to look towards the future to try and predict the tech that’s going to be on our radar in the next decade – it’s all in the name.

We just can’t wait to see what the future holds for microLED, and we would love nothing more than to get our hands on a TV powered by it.